Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
J Dairy Sci. 2021 Sep;104(9):10158-10170. doi: 10.3168/jds.2021-20342. Epub 2021 Jul 1.
Dairy cows are highly motivated to access pasture, especially at night in summer. When pasture is not available, dairy cows show a partial preference for alternative types of outdoor access, spending half the night outside in summer on an outdoor sand or wood chip pack. However, many dairy farms do not provide cows outside access. To better understand reasons why dairy farmers choose to provide or not provide outdoor access, we studied the perspectives of dairy farmers located in the 4 Western Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Data were collected via (1) 11 focus group discussions with a total of 50 Western Canadian dairy farmers, and (2) semi-structured individual interviews with 6 dairy farmers of Hutterite colonies. Transcripts were analyzed using template analysis. Reasons to not provide outdoor access fell into 5 main themes: (1) adverse climate conditions, (2) negative implications of outdoor access for cow welfare including concerns about udder health, (3) concerns regarding decreases in profitability, (4) farm infrastructure not set up for outdoor access, and (5) higher ability to manage animals kept indoors. Reasons to provide outdoor access fell into the 5 main themes: (1) local climate conditions conducive for outdoor access, (2) beneficial effects of outdoor access on cow welfare including lower lameness prevalence, (3) increased profitability due to a premium milk price provided to farmers that allow pasture access to their cows, (4) farm infrastructure that is set up for outdoor access, and (5) easier management of animals outdoors. We conclude that the decision to provide outdoor access depends on how farmers weigh these factors given the constraints on their farm, as well as their personal beliefs and values.
奶牛非常渴望进入牧场，尤其是在夏季的夜间。当牧场无法提供时，奶牛会对其他类型的户外通道产生部分偏好，在夏季的晚上会有一半时间在户外的沙坑或木屑堆中度过。然而，许多奶牛场并没有为奶牛提供户外通道。为了更好地了解奶牛场主选择提供或不提供户外通道的原因，我们研究了位于加拿大西部 4 个省（不列颠哥伦比亚省、艾伯塔省、萨斯喀彻温省和马尼托巴省）的奶牛场主的观点。数据通过以下两种方式收集：（1）11 次与 50 位加拿大西部奶牛场主的焦点小组讨论，以及（2）与 6 位胡特尔派殖民地奶牛场主的半结构化个人访谈。使用模板分析对记录进行了分析。不提供户外通道的原因分为 5 个主要主题：（1）不利的气候条件，（2）户外通道对奶牛福利的负面影响，包括对乳房健康的担忧，（3）对盈利能力下降的担忧，（4）农场基础设施不适合户外通道，以及（5）能够更好地管理室内饲养的动物。提供户外通道的原因分为 5 个主要主题：（1）有利于户外通道的当地气候条件，（2）户外通道对奶牛福利的有益影响，包括较低的跛行发生率，（3）由于允许奶牛进入牧场的农民获得溢价牛奶价格而提高的盈利能力，（4）为户外通道而设立的农场基础设施，以及（5）在户外管理动物更容易。我们得出的结论是，提供户外通道的决定取决于农民如何权衡这些因素，考虑到他们农场的限制以及他们的个人信仰和价值观。
